Alt Attribute & Search engine optimization

SEO Optimization images has become increasingly more essential in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for websites. The ALT attribute is really a critical step that is often overlooked. This can be a lost opportunity for better rankings.

In Google's webmaster guidelines, they advise the use of alternative text for that images on your web site:

Images:. Make use of the alt attribute to provide descriptive text. In addition, we recommend using a human-readable caption and descriptive text around the image.

Why would they ask us to do that? The answer is simple, really; search engines have the same problem as blind users. They can't begin to see the images.

Many webmasters and inexperienced or unethical SEOs abuse using this attribute, attempting to stuff it with keywords, looking to achieve a certain keyword density, which isn't as relevant for rankings now since it once was.

On the other hand, high keyword density can, on some search engines like google, trigger spam filters, which might create a penalty for the site's ranking. Even without this type of penalty, your site's rankings will not take advantage of this plan.
This process also puts persons who use screen readers in a greater disadvantage. Screen readers are software-based tools that actually read aloud the contents of what is displayed on the screen. In browsing the web, the alt attributes of images are read aloud as well.

Imagine listening to a paragraph of text which is then repetitions of numerous keywords. The page would be far from accessible, and, to put it bluntly, will be found quite annoying.
What exactly is an Alt attribute?

An ALT attribute shouldn't be used like a description or a label to have an image, though many people utilize it in that fashion. Although it might seem natural to assume that alternate text is a label or perhaps a description, it is not!

The words used inside an image's alt attribute ought to be its text equivalent and convey the same information or serve exactly the same purpose the image would.

The goal is to provide the same functional information that the visual user would see. The alt attribute text should function as a "stand in" when the image itself is unavailable. Ask yourself this: If you were to replace the image with the text, would most users receive the same basic information, and wouldn't it generate the same response?
Some examples:

 

Some SEO Optimization Tips

If your search button is really a magnifier or binoculars its alt text ought to be 'search' or 'find' not 'magnifying glass' or 'binoculars'.

If an image is meant to convey the literal items in the image, a description is suitable.

If it's meant to convey data, then that data is what is appropriate.

If it's meant to convey using a function, then your function is what ought to be used.

Some Alt Attribute Guidelines:

Always add alt attributes to images. Alt is mandatory for accessibility as well as for valid XHTML.

For images that play merely a decorative role within the page, make use of an empty alt (i.e. alt="") or a CSS background image to ensure that reading browsers do not bother users by uttering such things as "spacer image".

Remember that it is the function from the image we are trying to convey. For instance; any button images shouldn't include the word "button" in the alt text. They should emphasize the action performed by the button.

Alt text should be determined by context. Exactly the same image inside a different context may need drastically different alt text.

Try to flow alt text with the rest from the text because that's how it is going to be read with adaptive technologies like screen readers. Someone hearing your page should hardly be aware that a graphic image is there.
Please remember that using an alt attribute for every image is needed to meet the minimum WAI requirements, which are used as the benchmark for accessibility laws in UK and the remainder of Europe. They are also necessary to meet "Section 508" accessibility requirements in america.

It is useful to categorize non-text content into three levels:

Eye-Candy
Mood-Setting
Content and Function

I. Eye-Candy

Eye-Candy are things that serve no purpose apart from to make a site visually appealing/attractive and (oftentimes) satisfy the marketing departments. There isn't any content value (though there might be value to some sighted user).

Never alt-ify eye-candy unless there's something there which will boost the usability of the site for someone utilizing a non-visual user agent. Make use of a null alt attribute or background images in CSS for eye-candy.

II. Mood-Setting

This is the middle layer of graphics which might serve to set the atmosphere or set happens as it were. These graphics are not direct content and could 't be considered essential, but they are essential in that they help frame what's going on.

Attempt to alt-ify the 2nd group as makes sense and it is relevant. There might be times when doing this may be annoying or detrimental to other users. Then avoid it.

For instance; Alt text that's just like adjacent text is unnecessary, as well as an irritant to screen reader users. I suggest alt="" or background CSS images in such instances. But sometimes, it's important to understand this content in there for those users.

Usually this will depend on context. Exactly the same image in a different context may need drastically different alt text. Obviously, content should always be fully available. How you go in this case is a judgment call.

III. Content and Function

This is when the look may be the actual content. Always alt-ify content and functional images. Title and long description attributes can also be so as.
The main reason many authors can't figure out why their alt text isn't working is that they don't know why the pictures are there. You have to determined exactly what function an image serves. Consider what it is about the image that's vital that you the page's intended audience.

Every graphic includes a reason for standing on that page: because it either improves the theme/ mood/ atmosphere or it is critical to what the page is attempting to explain. Understanding what the look is for makes alt text simpler to write. And practice writing them definitely helps.
A way to check the usefulness of alternative text would be to imagine reading the page over the telephone to someone. What would you say when encountering a specific image to create the page understandable to the listener?

Aside from the alt attribute you have a couple more tools at your disposal for images.
First, in degree of descriptiveness title is within between alt and longdesc. It adds useful information and can add flavor. The title attribute is optionally rendered by the user agent. Remember they are invisible and never shown as a "tooltip" when focus is received via the keyboard. (A lot for device independence). So make use of the title attribute only for advisory information.
Second, the longdesc attribute points towards the Link to a full description of the image. If the information contained in an image is essential towards the concept of the page (i.e. some important content would be lost when the image was removed), a longer description compared to "alt" attribute can reasonably display should be used. It can provide for rich, expressive documentation of the visual image.

It ought to be used when alt and title are insufficient to embody the visual qualities of the image. As Clark [1] states, "A longdesc is a long description of an image...The goal is by using any period of description essential to impart the details from the graphic.

It wouldn't be remiss to hope that the long description conjures an image - the look - in the mind's eye, an analogy that is true even for the totally blind."

Even though alt attribute is mandatory for web accessibility and for valid (X)HTML, not every images need alternative text, long descriptions, or titles.

Oftentimes, you are better off just choosing your gut instinct -- if it's not necessary to include it, and if you don't possess a strong urge to get it done, don't add that longdesc.

However, if it's essential for the entire page to work, then you've to add the alt text (or title or longdesc).

What's necessary and what's not depends a lot on the function of the image and its context about the page.

Exactly the same image may need alt text (or title or longdesc) in a single spot, although not in another. If the image provides absolutely no content or functional information alt="" or background CSS images may be appropriate to make use of. However, if the image provides content or adds functional information an alt would be required and maybe a long description would be so as. Oftentimes this kind of thing is a judgement call.

Image Search Engine Optimization Tips

Listed below are key stages in optimizing images:

Select a logical file name that reinforces the keywords. You should use hyphens within the file name to isolate the keyword, but avoid to exceeding two hyphens. Stay away from underscores as a word separator, like for example "brilliant-diamonds.jpg";

Label the file extension. For example, when the image search engine sees a ".jpg" (JPEG) file extension, it's likely to assume that the file is a photo, and if it sees a ".gif" (GIF) file extension, it's likely to assume that it is a graphic;

Make sure that the written text at the image that is highly relevant to that image.
Again, do not lose an excellent opportunity to help your site together with your images searching engines. Use these steps to rank better on all the engines and drive more traffic for your site TODAY.

SEO Optimization

Note the Client companies are based in either the US or Canada and the “percentage of traffic outside key service areas” are based on each client’s target market.

For instance, if a client only services the US only, any traffic outside the US would be traffic outside their service area.

Evaluating Your Own Traffic For Relevance

To use our own web design and Internet marketing business as an example, we service both Canada and the US, but were getting 24% of our traffic from other international countries. Big portions of that traffic were companies looking to sell their services to us.

These international visitors would fill in our web forms and call us to inquire, untimely skewing our website analytics data by not giving us a real understanding of how our website was performing to quality prospects.

A solution had to be implemented to significantly reduce the amount of resources we were dedicating to people outside our service areas.

Ultimately, we didn’t want to be contacted from people we couldn’t help. The four possible solutions we considered were:

1. Create a custom report in Google Analytics to filter out the unwanted data (reporting related)


2. Adjust the content of our website (website related)


3. Block the traffic from specific Countries from viewing our website (server related)


4. Don’t change anything.

Option #1

When evaluating the first solution, creating a custom report to filter out this data in Google Analytics, this would clear up our analytics data. Implementing a filter would provide a more realistic picture of quality prospects we could service in our geographic area instead of those prospects or solicitors in other counties we don’t service.

This option didn’t run the risk of blocking any traffic or robots that we do want. It’s also a simple filter to add in Google Analytics. We set up another Profile with the country exclusions filters. A new Profile was the preferred approach, rather than going through the extra steps of creating Custom Reports.

However, setting up analytical filters doesn’t fully resolve the issue, since these visitors could still access our site, fill in web forms, and contact us, ultimately wasting resources that we could dedicate elsewhere.

It wouldn’t give us a true picture of what was going on. It also wouldn’t resolve the problem – we didn’t want to be contacted by companies from some outside countries.

Option #2

Updating the website content to say you only service a specific area is another solution that we considered.  This would inject more geo-targeted keywords into your site, which would help in local SEO. Adding a graphical map, drop-down options and/or links that allow the visitor to select their country would help qualify visitors.

Some of the downfalls of this option include spending a much higher amount of time to implement versus the other options. The success of this would also be dependent on how honest the visitor is.

Assuming visitors are reading your website content, adding geo-targeted keywords into your site would set a clearer expectation of service area delivery. However, this option still doesn’t resolve the issue of sharing contact information that allows unsolicited visitors to contact us and invalid web form data.

Option #3

How about blocking or filtering visitors automatically based on their IP address? When considering to block website visitors by IP it’s important to first evaluate the reliability of the IP address(es). The accuracy of an IP list is over 99.5% on a country level and 80% on a city level. The smaller the location, the less reliable the IP address.

Internet Service Providers change IP addresses they designate to customers. Some change them more frequently than others, which is why you want to keep the database of IPs updated. Scheduling a monthly update is typically a good routine if city level IP authentication is required. Country level is much more static.

The benefit of blocking the country via IP address would not only clean up analytical data, but also ensure our sales funnel was more efficient and provide a more accurate picture of real prospects in all systems. We needed to consider other issues in this approach.

One concern was the potential for a search crawler coming from an IP in the location we were planning on blocking. For example, there was a possibility that Google’s search crawler would also be blocked if it came from the same country. The implementation of this option is more technical. One would need to obtain a list of IP addresses for the desired locations and update the websites htaccess file.

In our example, the inquiries from some countries became so frequent that we couldn’t ignore it any longer. After much debate, we decided to ban the countries; however, we would only ban one at a time to evaluate the effects.

For instance, one of the largest traffic sources, accounting for approximately 20% of this, was from India, a market we don’t service. These Indian visitors were companies looking to sell their services to us.

We executed the ban in the polite Canadian way. We also implemented the Google Analytics profile with the country filter to monitor future website statistics versus the past.

Those visitors that came from our blocked list would land on a different page that displayed a nice message. It read: “Thank you for visiting. However, we don’t provide services in your area.”

In sum, the tests have gone over very well. Banning the country from our website has significantly cut down the number of unsolicited calls, emails and web form requests. It also gave us a much more accurate picture of how our website was performing within our own target market and service area.

Considerations For Blocking Traffic By Location

If you’re considering this strategy, some factors to consider when filtering visitors include:

• Why do you want to filter website traffic?


• Which locations would you want to filter?


• How much traffic do you currently get from locations outside your service area?


• How important is this traffic?


• How to funnel visitors outside your service areas?


• The accuracy of the IP addresses locations in mind.


• Effects of non-human visitors.

A few months after we implemented this, we received a direct mail package that contained pens with our logo on them from a company that wished to sell us branded pens.

Guess what it said under our logo? “Thank you for visiting. However, we don’t provide services in your area.” We had a good laugh. Someone obviously didn’t read what they printed. It was evidence that our website block was working and a nice souvenir.

The key takeaway, as always, is monitor your traffic and conversions. Track where your quality traffic is coming from and decide for yourself if you should block the traffic of certain countries. Make sure to proceed with caution to ensure that you are not missing some opportunities.

Think outside of the box for other ideas of how you can use that traffic. Perhaps referring the traffic to a partner or creating a unique service for specific markets is another option to consider.

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.

Related Topics: 100% Organic - Search Engine Optimization Tips | SEO: General

Note the Client companies are based in either the US or Canada and the “percentage of traffic outside key service areas” are based on each client’s target market.

For instance, if a client only services the US only, any traffic outside the US would be traffic outside their service area.

Evaluating Your Own Traffic For Relevance

To use our own web design and Internet marketing business as an example, we service both Canada and the US, but were getting 24% of our traffic from other international countries. Big portions of that traffic were companies looking to sell their services to us.

These international visitors would fill in our web forms and call us to inquire, untimely skewing our website analytics data by not giving us a real understanding of how our website was performing to quality prospects.

A solution had to be implemented to significantly reduce the amount of resources we were dedicating to people outside our service areas.

Ultimately, we didn’t want to be contacted from people we couldn’t help. The four possible solutions we considered were:

1. Create a custom report in Google Analytics to filter out the unwanted data (reporting related)


2. Adjust the content of our website (website related)


3. Block the traffic from specific Countries from viewing our website (server related)


4. Don’t change anything.

Option #1

When evaluating the first solution, creating a custom report to filter out this data in Google Analytics, this would clear up our analytics data. Implementing a filter would provide a more realistic picture of quality prospects we could service in our geographic area instead of those prospects or solicitors in other counties we don’t service.

This option didn’t run the risk of blocking any traffic or robots that we do want. It’s also a simple filter to add in Google Analytics. We set up another Profile with the country exclusions filters. A new Profile was the preferred approach, rather than going through the extra steps of creating Custom Reports.

However, setting up analytical filters doesn’t fully resolve the issue, since these visitors could still access our site, fill in web forms, and contact us, ultimately wasting resources that we could dedicate elsewhere.

It wouldn’t give us a true picture of what was going on. It also wouldn’t resolve the problem – we didn’t want to be contacted by companies from some outside countries.

Option #2

Updating the website content to say you only service a specific area is another solution that we considered.  This would inject more geo-targeted keywords into your site, which would help in local SEO. Adding a graphical map, drop-down options and/or links that allow the visitor to select their country would help qualify visitors.

Some of the downfalls of this option include spending a much higher amount of time to implement versus the other options. The success of this would also be dependent on how honest the visitor is.

Assuming visitors are reading your website content, adding geo-targeted keywords into your site would set a clearer expectation of service area delivery. However, this option still doesn’t resolve the issue of sharing contact information that allows unsolicited visitors to contact us and invalid web form data.

Option #3

How about blocking or filtering visitors automatically based on their IP address? When considering to block website visitors by IP it’s important to first evaluate the reliability of the IP address(es). The accuracy of an IP list is over 99.5% on a country level and 80% on a city level. The smaller the location, the less reliable the IP address.

Internet Service Providers change IP addresses they designate to customers. Some change them more frequently than others, which is why you want to keep the database of IPs updated. Scheduling a monthly update is typically a good routine if city level IP authentication is required. Country level is much more static.

The benefit of blocking the country via IP address would not only clean up analytical data, but also ensure our sales funnel was more efficient and provide a more accurate picture of real prospects in all systems. We needed to consider other issues in this approach.

One concern was the potential for a search crawler coming from an IP in the location we were planning on blocking. For example, there was a possibility that Google’s search crawler would also be blocked if it came from the same country. The implementation of this option is more technical. One would need to obtain a list of IP addresses for the desired locations and update the websites htaccess file.

In our example, the inquiries from some countries became so frequent that we couldn’t ignore it any longer. After much debate, we decided to ban the countries; however, we would only ban one at a time to evaluate the effects.

For instance, one of the largest traffic sources, accounting for approximately 20% of this, was from India, a market we don’t service. These Indian visitors were companies looking to sell their services to us.

We executed the ban in the polite Canadian way. We also implemented the Google Analytics profile with the country filter to monitor future website statistics versus the past.

Those visitors that came from our blocked list would land on a different page that displayed a nice message. It read: “Thank you for visiting. However, we don’t provide services in your area.”

In sum, the tests have gone over very well. Banning the country from our website has significantly cut down the number of unsolicited calls, emails and web form requests. It also gave us a much more accurate picture of how our website was performing within our own target market and service area.

Considerations For Blocking Traffic By Location

If you’re considering this strategy, some factors to consider when filtering visitors include:

• Why do you want to filter website traffic?


• Which locations would you want to filter?


• How much traffic do you currently get from locations outside your service area?


• How important is this traffic?


• How to funnel visitors outside your service areas?


• The accuracy of the IP addresses locations in mind.


• Effects of non-human visitors.

A few months after we implemented this, we received a direct mail package that contained pens with our logo on them from a company that wished to sell us branded pens.

Guess what it said under our logo? “Thank you for visiting. However, we don’t provide services in your area.” We had a good laugh. Someone obviously didn’t read what they printed. It was evidence that our website block was working and a nice souvenir.

The key takeaway, as always, is monitor your traffic and conversions. Track where your quality traffic is coming from and decide for yourself if you should block the traffic of certain countries. Make sure to proceed with caution to ensure that you are not missing some opportunities.

Think outside of the box for other ideas of how you can use that traffic. Perhaps referring the traffic to a partner or creating a unique service for specific markets is another option to consider.

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.

Related Topics: 100% Organic - Search Engine Optimization Tips | SEO: General

seo optimization services

Bench Craft Company on the subject of ebay

Here is a roundup of important small business tips to start out your week on the right track. We’ve tried to collect some of the best resources to get you started but we’d love to hear from readers as well, so if you’ve got some tips or advice to add, please, as always, leave them in the comment section below. Enjoy!

Legal

Legal tips for your small business. From Jeffrey Fabian of Fabian LLC, serving small business and legal professionals, here are a collection of legal issues every small business must look out for. Consulting on legal matters with an attorney can be another important step, but remember that legal issues of all kinds come with the territory in small business, so be prepared. 365 Days of Startups

Ideas for maintaining your professional image. As a small business owner or entrepreneur, your online reputation is becoming more important every day. So what does a Google search say about you? If you don’t know yet, you should find out. Reputation has always been an important commodity in the business world. The Internet has made it more important than ever. Beware! Startup Professionals Musings

Customer Service

Tips for creating a more appealing product or service. You may think you’re giving your customers choices, but, in reality, you’re only handing them indecision. And perhaps an invitation to do nothing? Here’s an alternative. Give them a step-by-step on how to use your product. Tell them what to do and how to do it. And don’t worry if it doesn’t fit every customer’s needs. They’ll create the fit that’s right for them. Chris Brogan

Marketing

How to set yourself apart from competitors. Saying you’re better than your competitors just isn’t good enough (even if it’s true.) The question is what you can offer customers that is different from any one else in the market. Create a service no one else provides in exactly the same way, and you’ll have a marketing strategy that can work in the long run. Duct Tape Marketing

How to use “help marketing” to strengthen your business and brand. You can call this PR instead of marketing if you like, but no matter what you call it, it may be the best thing for your brand and business, if you do it right. Helping others including your customers is really what your business should be about anyway. So don’t be afraid to show your willingness to extend a helping hand. TechLunatic

Startup

How to seek help from business accelerators. Efforts to get new businesses up and running have increased in recent years and business accelerators in various forms are spreading across the country, according to this piece on the trend. Often these organizations offer “more help than funding” but can still be an important resource depending upon the nature of your startup. Bloomberg Businessweek

Taxes

How to prepare for tax compliance expenses in your small business. Ballooning tax regulations are a huge source of expense for small businesses, especially here in the U.S. It’s important for small business owners to consider the expenses related to tax compliance, since this is likely to be an ongoing burden for small business owners into the foreseeable future. WSJ

Last minute tips for last minute tax filers. If you’re doing your small business tax filings on your own, here are some last minute tips you may want to consider ranging from how to file an extension to how long to keep your tax records and more. If you want some last minute advice as the tax deadline closes in, why not take a few minutes and watch the video? BostoneHerald.com

Self-development

A new persription for stress and overwork: relax! Small business owners and entrepreneurs, like everyone else, experience burnout at times and can easily become overwhelmed with work. After all, when the final responsibility for everything falls upon you, there’s no one else to turn to. But experts now suggest that taking those breaks when necessary can be absolutely essential. Here’s more. The Globe And Mail

Tech

Tips for keeping your business technology up and running. Keeping your business technology alive and kicking is not just a luxury in today’s small business world. It is an absolute and vital necessity! So tips on keeping the critical tools you use to operate your business and serve your customers should always be a priority. Here are some tips you won’t want to forget. Jackrabbit.com Blog

From Small Business TrendsSmall Business News: Best Small Biz Tips Today

Here is a roundup of important small business tips to start out your week on the right track. We’ve tried to collect some of the best resources to get you started but we’d love to hear from readers as well, so if you’ve got some tips or advice to add, please, as always, leave them in the comment section below. Enjoy!

Legal

Legal tips for your small business. From Jeffrey Fabian of Fabian LLC, serving small business and legal professionals, here are a collection of legal issues every small business must look out for. Consulting on legal matters with an attorney can be another important step, but remember that legal issues of all kinds come with the territory in small business, so be prepared. 365 Days of Startups

Ideas for maintaining your professional image. As a small business owner or entrepreneur, your online reputation is becoming more important every day. So what does a Google search say about you? If you don’t know yet, you should find out. Reputation has always been an important commodity in the business world. The Internet has made it more important than ever. Beware! Startup Professionals Musings

Customer Service

Tips for creating a more appealing product or service. You may think you’re giving your customers choices, but, in reality, you’re only handing them indecision. And perhaps an invitation to do nothing? Here’s an alternative. Give them a step-by-step on how to use your product. Tell them what to do and how to do it. And don’t worry if it doesn’t fit every customer’s needs. They’ll create the fit that’s right for them. Chris Brogan

Marketing

How to set yourself apart from competitors. Saying you’re better than your competitors just isn’t good enough (even if it’s true.) The question is what you can offer customers that is different from any one else in the market. Create a service no one else provides in exactly the same way, and you’ll have a marketing strategy that can work in the long run. Duct Tape Marketing

How to use “help marketing” to strengthen your business and brand. You can call this PR instead of marketing if you like, but no matter what you call it, it may be the best thing for your brand and business, if you do it right. Helping others including your customers is really what your business should be about anyway. So don’t be afraid to show your willingness to extend a helping hand. TechLunatic

Startup

How to seek help from business accelerators. Efforts to get new businesses up and running have increased in recent years and business accelerators in various forms are spreading across the country, according to this piece on the trend. Often these organizations offer “more help than funding” but can still be an important resource depending upon the nature of your startup. Bloomberg Businessweek

Taxes

How to prepare for tax compliance expenses in your small business. Ballooning tax regulations are a huge source of expense for small businesses, especially here in the U.S. It’s important for small business owners to consider the expenses related to tax compliance, since this is likely to be an ongoing burden for small business owners into the foreseeable future. WSJ

Last minute tips for last minute tax filers. If you’re doing your small business tax filings on your own, here are some last minute tips you may want to consider ranging from how to file an extension to how long to keep your tax records and more. If you want some last minute advice as the tax deadline closes in, why not take a few minutes and watch the video? BostoneHerald.com

Self-development

A new persription for stress and overwork: relax! Small business owners and entrepreneurs, like everyone else, experience burnout at times and can easily become overwhelmed with work. After all, when the final responsibility for everything falls upon you, there’s no one else to turn to. But experts now suggest that taking those breaks when necessary can be absolutely essential. Here’s more. The Globe And Mail

Tech

Tips for keeping your business technology up and running. Keeping your business technology alive and kicking is not just a luxury in today’s small business world. It is an absolute and vital necessity! So tips on keeping the critical tools you use to operate your business and serve your customers should always be a priority. Here are some tips you won’t want to forget. Jackrabbit.com Blog

From Small Business TrendsSmall Business News: Best Small Biz Tips Today

bench craft company

Kansas ticket office official sentenced to 57 months for role in scalping scandal

A former associate director in charge of the University of Kansas ticket office and "gatekeeper" for stolen tickets was sentenced Thursday to 57 months in prison for her role in the $2 million conspiracy.

bench craft company

Candella defends Alien Jihad game <b>News</b> - PC - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our PC news of Candella defends Alien Jihad game.

bench craft company

ABC <b>News</b> Exclusive: Pat Tillman&#39;s Mom Wants General Stanley <b>...</b>

ABC News' Jake Tapper reports: President Obama named retired General Stanley McChrystal to co-chair a White House commission on military families this week, but according to perhaps the most prominent military family of the last decade, ...

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Video calls were a mainstay of classic sci-fi films, and even today there’s something almost magical about seeing your friends and family on the screen of a portable device. Video calling has been around for some time, but it’s only really in the past year or so that its got more attention among regular users. That’s thanks in no small part to Apple and FaceTime, as found on the iPhone 4, iPad 2 and other gadgets from the company’s range. Read on as we give FaceTime the full SlashGear 101 treatment!

So Apple invented video calling, right?

No, not at all, though they did do a lot to make it easier to use – just as long as you have the right hardware. Video calling is actually a part of the 3G standard, which – if the carrier and whatever phone you’re using supports it, which isn’t the case in the US – has been available since around 2003. Unfortunately a combination of high pricing, poor understanding by users, mediocre quality and patchy reliability meant this form of video calling has never really taken off.

Apple’s FaceTime takes advantage of the company’s tight control over the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and MacBook software, which has allowed it to polish the video calling experience to the point where everyday use is possible. Now FaceTime is available to anybody at the touch of an on-screen button.

Do I need an Apple phone to use FaceTime?

Not necessarily a phone, but definitely something with the Apple logo. FaceTime was first supported on the iPhone 4, which was Apple’s first mobile device with a front-facing camera (i.e. one that looks at the user, rather than out the back of the handset). The latest iPod touch and iPad 2 both have front-facing cameras and FaceTime support as well, and Apple has released a FaceTime app for its Mac and MacBook computers so they can join in the fun as well. FaceTime comes free on the mobile devices and the very latest Macs, and is a $0.99 download from the Mac App Store for earlier Mac owners.

Okay, so how do I use it?

It’s pretty simple, just as Apple was aiming for. On the iPhone you make a voice call in the normal way and then tap the FaceTime button on-screen to switch to video. On the iPod touch and iPad 2, you start a video call in the FaceTime app. You’ll need an Apple account in order to make and receive calls, since that’s used as the “phone number” for devices other than the iPhone 4.

Currently, FaceTime video calls can only be made when you have a WiFi connection, not when you’re using the mobile network for data. That’s a limitation Apple has put in place itself, though the company has said it is working on removing it in the future.

I’m not into Apple, can I video call with something else?

You certainly can, though the process gets a bit trickier. Various apps are available for Android and other mobile phone platforms which promise video calls, sometimes over not only WiFi but the 3G mobile networks too. That means you can make video calls when away from your home network or a WiFi hotspot, as long as your signal is strong enough.

Skype, Fring and Qik are all among the companies offering video calling apps, though their effectiveness often varies on a phone-by-phone basis. Not all phones have front-facing cameras, either, though they’re becoming more common on the latest handsets. A future SlashGear 1010 feature will look at the best video calling apps if FaceTime isn’t your thing.

Apple has said it plans to open up FaceTime to other manufacturers, so that non-Apple phones can make and receive calls too, but so far there’s no sign of that actually happening.

More information at Apple’s FaceTime page.

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class="dropcap">Bill Thomas used to be a climate change skeptic, not believing that humans could have influenced the dramatic atmospheric shift, but two weeks in the woods — and chats with scientists — changed his mind.

“I remember vividly that first day with Dr. Jess Parker; he showed us a chart of CO2 levels increasing about the time of the industrial revolution,” says Thomas, who works for HSBC bank and participated in a 2007 Climate Champions training program. There, a personal epiphany led to a job title change — the former relationship manager for HSBC Technical Services is now group head of HSBC Technology and Services Sustainability.

Teaching employees the science behind green corporate values and how to make their workplaces sustainable isn’t just for “green” show — done right, it’s good business strategy.

“There seems to be a huge growth of interest among companies to not just keep the environmental initiatives within a subset of employees, but to make it a pervasive part of the corporate culture,” says Krista Badiane, who manages the business and environment program at the National Environmental Education Foundation.  And unlike broad, mandated rules — such as carbon caps — companies that create their own initiatives take ownership and credit for sustainable changes, which may well go beyond what laws would have dictated.

By cultivating current workers’ energy-saving ideas and environmental passions, companies can save resources, energy and money as well as boost their eco-friendly reputation. The key is to help employees learn why sustainability matters — for instance, unless it’s slowed, climate change could alter global landscapes and increase natural disasters in our lifetimes. And if employees realize what’s at stake, they’ll find ways to save resources at work — as well as at home.

Worker to Citizen Scientist/> In a patch of woods in Edgewater, Md., bordering Smithsonian Environmental Research Center campus buildings, HSBC technology managers are intently straightening a measuring tape wrapped around a mature oak. Phil Clarke, from Portland, Ore., leans in and meticulously gets a reading of its diameter: 94.8 inches. During this weeklong Sustainability Leader training, he’s learning what scientists do and what shape the planet is in. He knows that the measurements taken today — even though what they reveal won’t be known for awhile — will help guide decisions that will keep our world sound for future generations.

His employer, HSBC bank — a global financial services company with 300,000 employees working in 8,000 offices and pre-tax profits topping $11 billion — decided to go carbon neutral in 2005. For the past three years, HSBC bank has partnered with EarthWatch Institute for an international study on climate change’s effects on tree growth, as well as a program that trains employees around the world in sustainability. When workers return to the office after their forest immersion, they find ways to integrate newly learned sustainability lessons in their spheres of influence.

Clarke and the other HSBC technology services managers from around North America — key decision-makers hand picked for the training — earn the title of Sustainability Leader. A larger two-week program trains HSBC employees from all levels — from cashier to marketing staffer — to become Climate Champions.

Such citizen science training helps corporate employees understand the mechanics of science — that systems are complex, and that there are no easy answers. “You learn what a critical state the world is actually in,” says Annette Fasolino of HSBC’s payment operations division in Buffalo, N.Y.

Having that up-close experience with scientists and ecosystems helps employees better grasp how climate change is impacting, and may impact, the world. “Many of these people go back and question their decisions, and make sure they’re making the most sustainable decisions,” says Thomas.

Cultivating the Grassroots/> Though the partnership between HSBC and EarthWatch is unique, other companies are also looking to their staff for sustainable solutions. “There’s no one best program for a company to educate their employees,” Badiane says.

Some companies or groups of motivated employees organize green teams, which promote eco-friendly changes and teach colleagues sustainable alternatives. Initiatives range from banning disposable utensils in the lunchroom to redesigning an operating system to save raw materials. “Ideally, you’re getting some new ideas out of your employees,” says Deborah Fleischer, president of Green Impact, a sustainability consulting service.

Businesses also use social media sites such as Yammer — a private social network for companies — or online training to generate sustainable ideas.

Other companies dangle a carrot — awards and incentives — to get workers to make sustainable choices. Yogurt maker Stonyfield tied facility energy savings (based on energy use per ton of product) to employee bonuses. In this way, the company reduced energy use by more than 22 percent, according to a NEEF report.

To engage workers of all levels, eBay employed competition: a Big Green Idea Contest. To enter, employees identified ways the company could meet greenhouse gas reduction goals; then, employees voted on the top ideas. One idea, the eBay Box — simple, eco-friendly packaging that’s meant to be reused for eBay shipments — has become a useful tool that saves money and resources.

Unfortunately, some companies’ efforts are no more than greenwashing stunts to appear eco-friendly and keep up with their competition. Producing disposable trinkets with “green” logos or launching environmental-focused public relations initiatives while pushing pollution limits does not jive with true sustainability. The companies mentioned here, however, offer genuine solutions that leave a lighter footprint.

Two Kinds of Green/> Such engagement can yield significant savings: One North American HSBC Climate Champion noticed that co-workers weren’t shutting down their PCs every night, wasting energy. Now, NightWatchman software automatically shuts down more than 6 million computers left on. During fiscal year 2010 in North America, the software coupled with an awareness program saved 4 million kilowatts per year of electricity and about 900 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which shaved $332,000 on energy bills.

At defense contractor Lockheed Martin, a Camden, Ark., building uses a software system to control lighting and air conditioning, leading to more than $200,000 in reduced costs and savings of 2,332 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, according to the NEEF report. And at drugmaker Genetech,  green teams slashed the use of bottled water, saving the company $200,000 a year by using filtered water machines paired with reusable bottles, according to a white paper by Fleischer, “Green Teams: Engaging Employees in Sustainability.”

But benefits to a company can’t always be calculated in dollars.

“By creating an engaged employee base, we’re really putting it into hearts and minds of employees, and that’s going to be much more powerful and long-term than saying ‘you must turn off your PC,’” says Sharon Walck, senior vice president of sustainability at HSBC North America.

Investing in and teaching sustainable values to workers also boosts retention, according to NEEF, which is extremely important to large corporations. The foundation says losing and replacing a good employee can cost a company between 70 percent and 200 percent of that employee’s annual salary.

And, Badiane says, “employees who are motivated want to work for a company that has the same values.”

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During today’s Google earnings call, one analyst asked for some color on Google’s mobile business. CFO Patrick Pichette didn’t give much more in terms of specifics, but he did offer up some color. “Without any radical effort, we already announced at end of Q3 this is a $1 billion run-rate business,” says Pichette. Mobile is “growing at an amazing blazingly pace,” he says. “We tripped into $1 billion.”

Mobile search is definitely something Google is keenly focussed on. Senior VP of Local Jeff Huber noted on the call: ” In terms of where it trends over time, the smartphone is becoming an extension of the person, and how they do everything.”

Google is tackling that opportunity with mobile search obviously, but also with Android, which comes with Google search built-in as the default. Google is seeing 350,000 Android devices being activated a day.

Asked whether Google would have to build out a local salesforce with feet on the ground to take advantage of the new mobile and local advertising opportunities, sales chief Nikesh Arora didn’t rule out any possibilities. “we will use a combination of existing sales teams and methods and others that might be required,” he responded. Sounds like Google is picking itself up and going after the next billion dollars or two in mobile search.

Photo credit: Flickr/ Jeffrey Beall

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Google <b>News</b> Blog: New Google <b>News</b> for Opera Mini

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Read our Wii news of Mario & Sonic at London Olympics sighted?.

Roofing Contractors Vancouver - 5 Inquiries to Wonder

Roofing Vancouver - Faq's

1. Repair or Replace?

There's no opinion as an expert opinion. Most contractors provides you with a totally free estimate. Get a summary of a couple trusted contractors and phone them well in advance of when you wish to obtain your roof fixed to help you compare costs and opinions.

2. Beauty versus Practicality?

Discuss this together with your spouse or partner. (The children could care less...at least the young ones.) Truth is, nobody wants an ugly roof the same as nobody wants to be seen with bed hair. If you've got a great quality roof and you just need to repair it, it's worthwhile to pay the price of the initial shingle rather than doing patchwork. A roof replacement doesn't happen frequently (we hope!) and thus make a choice that best suits you and your family well or it'll stand out just like a sore thumb everyday you go home.

3. Must i replace the rooftop in order to sell the home for additional?

Consider this cautiously prior to making a choice. Depending on the roofing material you select, a brand new roof can last anywhere from twenty, fifty, to one-hundred years! This means you need to check the year of the roof that's currently over your head first. Are you at year 18 of the 20-year warranted roof or year 30 of the 50-year warranted roof? Obviously, the quality is what makes the rooftop keep going longer, but if you're not planning to remain in your current home for the rest of your lifetime, the larger expense might not be worth neglect the. Although a new roof can improve the worth of your selling price, the rise might not be enough to pay for neglect the and that's bound to hurt your wallet.

4. Could it be advisable that i can repair the roof myself?

Sure it's. Before you do, consult an expert first. You can perform it yourself, however, you shouldn't be considered a complete ‘lone ranger.' Depending on the extent of the repair, you may or may not change your mind. Either way, it helps to get a professional eye on the problem first and maybe a free quote so you can do the math later and find out if it's truly worth your time and effort, sweat, and cash to be mister or miss fix-it.

5. Just when was a great time to get the roof replaced?

Weather can cause delays from days to weeks. Most people prepare yourself to have their roof replaced in the summertime when they have a friend will be home during the day for a solid two weeks. Once you have this period in mind, create a call to some trusted contractor months ahead of time to get a quote. Some companies get booked up fast and chances are, they're probably the most reputable. Planning ahead from the summer also provides you with time for you to discuss with more and compare costs...especially if you want to have the roof done by a particular date.

 

The very best Roofing Company In Vancouver!

It is possible to leak in your home's roof? Perhaps you have lost shingles or tiles in a storm? Have overhanging branches caused damage? Is your roof more than 20 years old and showing its age? Are your gutters overwhelmed and draining poorly?

If the response to any of these questions is "Yes" it's time to call the top roofing company Vancouver - Crown Roofing & Drainage.

For more than a century Crown Roofing continues to be the roofer of choice among our Vancouver neighbors. We offer complete roofing services, from emergency repairs and roof restoration, to accomplish roof replacement. All while using finest quality materials, installed with precision and the highest degree of customer service.

YOUR Vancouver ROOF DESERVES Believe it or not!

The rooftop of your Vancouver home is the very first line of defence against wind, rain, snow, ice and other weather conditions. Be sure it's up to the job. Among Vancouver Roofing companies, only Crown Roofing has the depth of expertise and successful history to ensure your roofing system will be properly designed and installed.

NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS.

One reason Crown Roofing has been probably the most successful roofing contractor in Vancouver is our commitment to our neighbors. We treat your home as though it were our very own and we were building a roof to protect our own family. That's what neighbors do, and you can count on Crown Roofing being here to aid you and back our work. After all, we've been repairing and replacing roofs in Vancouver since 1902!

GET A FREE INSPECTION AND EVALUATION Of the Vancouver ROOF.

Visit the Roofers Vancouver for any FREE inspection and evaluation of the roof. Make sure you get the best roof for the Vancouver home, at the best value. We build roofs to last!

 

Tacoma Roofing contractor: Make your Home Beautiful

Not many people understand the value of a good roof, but your knowledgeable Tacoma Roofing company does. From first hand experience, they will be in a position to tell you the reason why you require a strong, secure, and leak-free roof on your home.

The local Tacoma Roofer is knowledgeable how important a financial investment your property is for you, especially as it is a long term one. Your house might have been damaged slowly through the years and also you need to take steps to minimize this damage. For a number of people, keeping their property beautiful is also a matter of pride. You will find those too who'd like to turn their property into a cost effective and efficient living place. Your homes roof is an integral part of your property and contributes to each of the aspects mentioned above. Because of this, you should employ the services of qualified a Tacoma Roofing contractors.

Types of Roofs installed with a Tacoma Roofing company

One of the more common kinds of roofs are asphalt shingles, steel or metal sheeting, fiberglass, slate and terra cotta tiles.

Each kind of roof invites distinct problems, however they can all be easily taken care of with a trusted Tacoma Roofer. It's vital that you nip roof problems in the bud before they become too costly or dangerous. You can schedule an appointment with the Tacoma Roofing contractor to take a glance at your roof to determine if there are any issues or potential issues with it. If there are, they might be able to tell you how to approach them.

A Tacoma Roofing contractor Helps you to Build Strong Homes

The exteriors of any house, primarily the roof and gutters, face the onslaught of bitter and varying weather conditions, every single day. Painting, repairing, and cleaning gutters might be necessary. In some cases you might want to replace them completely. Usually, whenever your gutters show signs and symptoms of trouble, your roof must also be inspected for problems. Whatever issues there may be, an experienced Tacoma Roofing contractor can examine them in detail and suggest the remedy.

If your gutters often clog all too often, or there are leaks along the walls of your house, it might mean that there is debris piled up on the roof. Loose branches, piles of leaves, along with other light objects that are swept onto your roof during a storm can all contribute towards damaging your roof, and these damages could be lasting. An educated Tacoma Roofer will explain that birds, mice, along with other types of rodents often build nest in the debris that collects on the top. While these nests may look rather innocent, they're great at collecting moisture, which can lead to loose shingles, mold, and indoor leaks in your home. In addition, this may also cause vermin infestation. After a storm, your Tacoma Roofer will suggest that you inspect your roof for just about any signs and symptoms of debris or damage.

Reverse Damages with the Help of a Tacoma Roofer

However top quality the roof may be, it is going to wear down with time. You will find shingles that are known as "25 year" or "30 year" shingles, but those numbers are only associated with warranty produced by the makers. They hardly ever require that long. Realistically speaking, "25 year" shingles won't last a lot more than a few years. Within an area that is vulnerable to storms, shingles or even the entire roof may need to get replaced every ten years. Having a Tacoma Roofing company, the price is going to be lower than what you think.

If there you lose any shingles, or there is some damage to them, a Tacoma Roofing company can assist you to. Damaged shingles can result in indoor leaks, as the substrate from the roof becomes subjected to the sun and rain. Shingles that are loose or broken can slip off and pose a possible hazard to individuals standing below. Missing shingles produce a gap that allows rain, wind, ice, and debris to develop under the adjoining shingles, which results in a "domino effect" that affects other shingles plus they become loose or broken. A thorough investigation is going to be made by your local Tacoma Roofing contractor, should you give them a call up with your suspicions of loose or missing shingles.

Your Tacoma Roofing company come in a position to tell you what are the smartest choice is for your homes roof. In case your roof isn't inside a good condition, it is advised that you have it replaced completely. The Tacoma Roofer may take you thru the various roofing options available to you which will fit your requirements and your budget.

Tacoma Roofing contractor: Improving your Home's Efficiency

Your roof shelters you from storms, sleet, and hail. By providing adequate ventilation, your homes roof protects your house from overheating, and by holding in the heat, it keeps your home warm. That's why you need to prepare your roof from indoors in addition to outdoors for any sort of weather emergency. A professional Tacoma Roofer can offer assist in this case.

First of all, inspect your roof thoroughly for any and all type of damage, before the beginning of a year. The gutters ought to be clear, debris should not be piled on or trapped under shingles, there should be no homes of squirrels or birds within the eaves or attic, and also the roof should be structurally sound. For that last part, you will need the help of the local Tacoma Roofing company. It can be quite dangerous to climb onto the roof of your house. This is where the contractor from Tacoma Roofing company comes in. He'll check out the strength and security of your roof and shingles, and do a general inspection from the entire roof structure, to make sure that it is in proper working order. They will be able to point towards problems that you have to keep an eye on and problems you might not have spotted.

You will need all of the assist you to can get from the Tacoma Roofing company. You can help your roof by installing a gutter guard or leaf cover to help prevent debris from forming inside your gutters. The additional weight of debris prevents the gutters from draining and can even tear them down. Check the fasteners on your gutters and if they are loose, tighten them. Do something to alter worn screws and brackets. If you have a chimney in your house, inspect the bricks and mortar signs of wear. A reliable mason could be recommended by your Tacoma Roofing contractor, if there are any repairs to become done.

Tacoma Roofer: Someone You are able to Count On
In the event that you realize or suspect that there's a problem, your Tacoma Roofing contractor should be contacted. They are able to use their knowledge and expertise to obtain your house back in ace condition simply by working on the rooftop. Your homes roof deserves attention. So call them today, to enable them to conclude caring for your roof.

 

What is Difference Between Commercial Roofing Companies From Residential Roofing Companies

If you are hiring a roofing company to re roof your house or building then you can be wondering what the differences are between residential roofing companies and commercial roofing companies. To start with, the one big difference is usually that times a commercial roofing company might have signed a contract with and be obligated to a roofing union in able to work on union commercial jobs.

If this sounds like the case then their labor costs will prohibit them from working on non union residential jobs. Beyond that, if your commercial roofing company has not signed a contract having a union they may be outfitted just for commercial jobs and that means that their workers and equipment might not be in line with smaller residential jobs.

Residential roofing contractors generally tend to run smaller companies and therefore, are more capable of bid competitively on residential jobs, which tend to be small compared to comercial jobs. In fact, quite often residential roofing contractors will run one man operations, where the contractor that you simply talk to could be the one which actually does the job on the building.

Also, liability insurance for commercial roofing is more epensive and a larger bond is needed for any commercial roofing work which will make it not cost effective for a commercial roofer to do residential roofing jobs.

Still one more factor is the fact that commercial jobs can run on tighter time period for any number of reasons, requiring a commercial contractor to employ a larger crew or crews which again makes smaller jobs less profitable for them.

 

Difference Between Commercial Roofing and Residential Roofing

Are you aware that the roof of a house or building has a huge effect on the entire structure itself? Damage caused to roofs because of natural or another disasters leads to a considerable lack of property everywhere. The kind of materials accustomed to construct the roof which should be sturdy and long lasting, the way where the roof continues to be installed and even its timely maintenance are very crucial. There are two types of roofs which are utilized on all of the buildings that people see around us: commercial and residential. Even though it may seem that commercial roofing is done just for businesses or offices and residential roofing is performed for apartments and houses, the truth is the differences are much more complex than that.

Residential roofing is usually completed by just one hired contractor but commercial roofing typically takes an entire team to accomplish the task. This is because an industrial roof is commonly larger when it comes to sq ft than a residential roof.
Commercial roofs are necessary carefully keeping the nature and purpose of the building in mind. For instance, if there is a cafe or restaurant in the building then external components like ventilation systems, smoke stacks and pipes is going to be required. Residential roofs usually do not have such components apart from a chimney or two at most.
Commercial roofs is commonly flat in design to accommodate further changes at a later period, whereas most residential roofs have peaks along with other architectural features like roof gardens.
Commercial roofing is a lot more expensive than residential roofing because of the special tools, materials and safety equipment which are needed onsite. Often the patching or maintenance jobs are done in segments unlike for a residential roof in which the repair or replacement work can be carried out a short while. This is one more reason why the gear used for residential roofs is often smaller and less expensive as well.
Commercial roof installations take a extended period to complete in comparison to residential roof installations and are usually constructed in large sections. During this phase however, it is important to ensure that there are no leakages, cracks or any other visible wear and tear signs as it can certainly cause considerable damage to the whole building.
It is important to install the right roof for a building based on its purpose. Make sure that you hire a construction company that utilizes first class materials and has the best equipment to do the job or neglect the risk turning out to be considered a huge loss later.

 

Commercial Roofing Contractors: How to Find a Qualified Commercial Roofing Company

If your clients are seeking to have work done on its roof, you should work with commercial roofing contractors which have a keen knowledge of any special needs that a business may have. As an example, a roofing job can often be disruptive for the operation of business as usual. Because of this, it may be essential for the business to become temporarily turn off, or the roofing to occur after business hours have ended. A roofing contractor that understands these needs can work plus a business to make certain these types of issues are minimized.

First of all , a company must do when it is trying to find commercial roofing contractors is to discover who other businesses in the area will work through. Obviously, this information will 't be helpful whether it comes as an indicator from competitors, but you will find circumstances by which it's not too difficult to find these details from suppliers or retailers. Since roofing isn't an industry-specific service, this post is easily available.

It is a good idea for just about any business to obtain touching a minimum of three commercial roofing contractors to make bids on the price. In this manner, the company could get a better price. It's also vital that you make sure that each one of the roofing contractors is licensed and bonded. This information are available by permitting touching their state contractor's board. This also makes it possible to determine if there has been any claims filed from the company previously.

When looking at bids, it is only as vital to check out what services are being offered and which products is going to be used because it is to check out the overall cost. The prices can vary quite drastically, but as tempting as it can be to go for the cheapest bid, this isn't always the best option. In many cases, more costs now will mean fewer costs in the long run due to a poor roofing job. To further investigate the caliber of the job, it is a wise decision to check on using the Better Business Bureau to be able to find out if the business continues to be accredited, and if it's not, to at least see what its rating is.

 

Picking out a Commercial Roofer

When you are looking for a roofer for your commercial roofing project you have to look for a contractor who understands the special needs of a commercial roofing project. For example it may be harder to operate on a business during business hours so either the company needs to be shut down for that repair or replacement or even the job needs to be done after conventional business hours. May be the roofer you are thinking about for the job willing and able to work around your schedule constrictions that might involve working weekends or evenings?

When you begin your search for any roofer not only do you need to answer those questions however, you also want to find someone which will do a top quality job with no great deal of time delays. Going about finding someone can seem as an obstacle in itself but there are some methods to make the search easier.

Ask friends and family for referrals and try to find a minimum of three contractors to give you written bids on your job. Before you go any more you need to make sure that the contractors you are considering are fully licensed and bonded. An easy search with the state contractor's board will verify in case your roofer is licensed and when there are any past judgments or claims against their license.

Once you select 3 or 4 roofers to put bids, you should get ready for that bids to become widely varied. Roofers may have brand preferences which will vary and could factor in pretty much compared to next guy for a labor estimate. The greater detailed an itemized bid is the more helpful it will likely be to focus on where the cost are going to be incurred. Don't, however, pick a roofer based solely about the bid price. Any low ball bids may be tempting to take, but when they're low due to low quality workman ship it might not be worth it ultimately.

As they say, you generally get that which you purchase, so if you are able to afford a mid-priced bid it certainly is smart to go up within your budget rather than down. Additionally you ought to decide your roofer based on how professional they were and just how comfortable you anticipate you will be dealing with them.

Finally your cost will be different based on what type of roofing material you select along with the cost to haul your old roof towards the landfill. If you are looking for places to chop corners on your roof, instead of cutting labor set you back might want to inquire about metallic roof option. Metal roofs can be cost effective and efficient making them overall money savers for that long term, and on commercial buildings they can be very low maintenance. Plus given that they can be placed along with a current roof, you don't need to possess the old one removed and hauled away, that make a big impact on your cost.

Choosing a comerical roofing company in your local area, does not have to be a difficult task. For more information, visit http://www.vancouverroofers.net

 

Seattle Roofing Contractors - How to locate The Best

In your home of rain and sleet, commercial coffee and grunge, and the famous space needle, you'll find a house which will suit you. Seattle, Washington can be a great place to build a house, but you need Seattle roofing contractors to help you out. Your roof is, after all, the crowning glory of your home, as well as your strongest type of defense from the elements. You need to have something that is not only built to last, but created to attract making your house more beautiful

Harsh Weather

How come roofing contractors so important within this the main country? Because Seattle is often bombarded by rain along with other harsh climate conditions, you need a roof that may withstand all the forces of nature. With this thought, you'll need people who know the Seattle weather best, and who know what materials can best get into your homes roof in order for it to last far longer in the region. On top this, you need to blend with the rest of the houses inside your living area, which means you cannot simply get whatever roof you please.

In all these aspects, a Seattle roofers will be able to assist you. All that you should do is look for Seattle roofing contractors online so that you can obtain the best bang for your buck without wondering when the contractor will suddenly run away with it and leave you roof-less.

Why the Contractor Model Works

If you want to set up your homes roof on your own, you'll have to buy a whole lot of materials, secure permits and licenses, and obtain materials which are suitable for keep you safe against harsh extremes of Seattle weather. Which means that if you're a DIY kind of guy or gal, you will have to go through a good deal of legwork in order to get the task done.

On the other hand, a Seattle roofer can do all the jobs for you personally and provide you with a package that may save you money and time. Because contractors operate under licenses and buy materials in large quantities, they are able to get discounts on building materials that you'd not otherwise get if you were buying merely for your own personel home.

Roofing Associations

Most roofing contractors also belong to roofing organizations that are bound by strict guidelines and standards. When they prosper on the roofing job, they can showcase their roofing contractors association; if they do poorly, they can ruin the trustworthiness of their roofing contractors association and keep other contractors inside the association from receiving targeted roofing jobs. There is a lot of pressure to complete well, to help you be reassured that prefer a roofing job done in Seattle, you can get a contractor from the roofing association to assist you.

For instance, Seattle Roof Brokers operates with over 500 roofing contractors within the Puget Sound. This group has over fifty years of roofing experience and experience working with Seattle roofing contractors, so it knows what type of roofing you would like. The Roof Brokers group can put you in contact with the contractor that you'll require so you don't have to look for contractors individually.

What Should You Demand from Your Contractor?

Whenever you finally get a contractor in the Seattle area, you must do lots of research on the roofing contractors themselves. Request a summary of previous companies or persons that the contractor worked with in order to get a clear view of the roofing contractor's work ethics and roof quality. Your roofing contractor must also possess the appropriate working licenses and city licenses required by the Seattle city government.

Pick a Seattle roofing contractors that insures its employees, which has courteous workers who will respect your thinking and ensure that your needs are met. Make sure that you obtain the best value for your money: if you are unsatisfied using the job, you have to be guaranteed either money-back, or perhaps a free, new roof. Moreover, additionally you need the workers to find the job done promptly, so be strict with your deadlines - and find a contractor that is as strict as you are.

You'll need guarantees and warranties in your roof, so locate a contractor that may meet your budget and roofing needs. If you achieve touching good Seattle roofing contractors, you may be guaranteed a great roof and a better house right in this fantastic city.

Selecting the Right Roofer Company for Replacing Your homes roof

The shingles inside your roof degrade and you're simply minded to find a roofing contractor to change the them. Perhaps you have already known as a few and therefore are evaluating which contractor for your upcoming roof repair. How do you choose the best contractor for caring for your roof? Listed here are several things you should consider when searching for the best roofer.

Where is the roofing contractor located? You should hire a roofing contractor that is local. Then you will receive a higher level of service if the roofing company is located near your home or has an office near your residence.
References. To look for the toughness for the contractor, references ought to be provided of their past clients who are willing to vouch that excellent service was received. This will not be the only factor in choosing your future roofing contractor as some may claim they value the privacy of their clients and do not desire to bother them. If this is the case, request business related references. The locations that supply the contractor with supplies can reveal the amount of materials and regularity of supplying the contractor to assist determine their stability.
How does the roofer company handle complaints? There are a multitude of issues that can arise throughout the progress of the roofing replacement. Ask what their process is for handling complaints when they arise. It is also an excellent idea to receive a past client reference who had a complaint which was resolved towards the satisfaction of the client.
Terms of payment. Do you know the the payment schemes for the job? What is the down payment and amount due upon completion? Even though it is certainly reasonable that a substantial payment be produced before a contractor begins work on a project, it is strongly advised that full payment is not made until after the entire job is finished.
Written contract. All terms of the roofing replacement should be place in an itemized contract. No the main contracting job should depend on verbal assurances.
Bonding. There are stuff that will go wrong with roofing installations that end up costing quite a bit of money to fix. Should this happen on your roofing replacement, you'll feel a whole lot better knowing that your roofer is bonded. This will provide the funds to repair whatever mistakes were made. Find a roofing contractor that is bonded.
Manufacturer Warranty. Quality materials for roofing typically come with a warranty. You should verify that there is actually a warranty about the materials being installed. Request a copy from the warranty.
Length of Time running a business Just how long has got the company you are interviewing been in business? A short amount of time in business may reflect instability. When the contractor has been in business under three years, verify just how long they've actually been in the market. A brand new contractor might have many years experience focusing on roofs before they form their very own business. Seek a company that's been around for 3 or more years, or where the contractor has already established many more years performing roofing replacements. It can shouldn't be the only factor, all of us have to start sometime. Balance this with referrals and also the other points raised in the following paragraphs.
Appropriate Permits. A Seattle roofing contractor ought to know what permits are needed for repairing your roof. They should be conscious of how you can obtain these permits on your behalf. Ask the contractor whether or not they will obtain the permits necessary to repair the rooftop.
Liability. If a worker becomes injured, who's responsible for the workers comp? When the contractor's equipment damages your home, who's liable for the repairs? A good contractor will provide certificates of insurance for liability and workers comp before they start fixing your roof.
Subcontractors. Verify if the contractor is going to be using subcontractors. If so, it is strongly advised that everything contained in this article for verifying whether the contractor is credible should also be relevant to subcontractors. You need to get the names and license amounts of all subcontractors. You should verify whether each subcontractor is also insured which means you are not held responsible for their accidents.
Pending Legal Actions. You should verify whether there are any legal actions from the contractor. This is not merely essential for verifying whether the roofing company is legitimate (credible roofing companies should not need to defend themselves in court), it's also important because a lost lawsuit could cause the contractor to visit bankrupt. If you have made a substantial down payment for services immediately prior to the company goes bankrupt, you could lose many thousands of dollars and never have your roofing completed.
Material Disposal. Who's accountable for disposing of the waste generated from the roof being replaced? Will your contractor handle all aspects of the? Is there one more cost for disposing of this waste?
NRCA Membership. Membership in local or national roofing associations, such as the NRCA, shows resolve for staying up to date with the very best methods for roof replacement and maintenance. Find a roofer with a high standard of education regarding their trade.
Replacing your homes roof is a significant investment. Celebrate sense to inquire about serious questions before working with a roofing contractor. Here are some more tips that you ought to consider when choosing the best roofing contractor for your upcoming roofing replacement.

Payment. Don't create a full payment for services unless all work is finished.
Inspection. Do not make a full payment without having done a final inspection of services rendered.
Workers liens. Do not fully pay for the roofing replacement job until worker's lien releases happen to be obtained.
Oral Agreements. No agreement should be made verbally without backing up on paper. All points which are vital that you you should be produced in writing.

 

To your SEO needs, you can examine out Vancouver web design and Vancouver Search engine optimization company

There is no denying the internet is among the most biggest financial market nowadays. Practically things are anchored on the net. Currently, there are many than 182 million sites on the net but still counting. If all these websites offers opportunities to earn money, just think of the limitless opportunities that may be based in the internet. More importantly, with the emergence of internet sites, the requirement of web hosting and Search| Engine Optimization is significantly defined.

Search engine marketing is actually the process of improving the visibility of the web site. Therefore, if you want your web site to become visible to visitors, you should seek for Seo agency. The optimization strategy considers how search spiders work and what individuals usually and what keywords they use. The primary objective of Search engine optimization is making web sites visible in search sites from the natural or organic way.

Organic search optimization or natural search engine optimization is a term used in describing unpaid, algorithm-driven connection between any particular engine. Quite simply, organic SEO uses natural strategies in achieving search results ranking. While there's two camps with which search optimization companies may fall to, which will be the 'White Hat' and also the 'Black Hat', organic SEO would never belong to the 'Black Hat' camp.

Organic search engine optimization is a highly specialized and complex practice which could literally dictate the failure or success of an internet business. Since search sites often modify their algorithms, organic SEO is not quite simple at all. When search bots modify their algorithms, factors that allow your web site to appear facing potential clients are decayed also. Thus, in order to deal with these changes, SEO tactics and methods should be employed.

It is usually ethical to use search engines engine optimization since search sites nowadays have become extremely advanced that they can easily determine whether an online site is trying to manipulate their search indexes. Thus it's empirical to use search engine optimization practices which can be done in wherein appear natural.

The approaches used by organic search engine optimization and artificial SEO are very significantly different. Basically, organic SEO uses content when compared with artificial SEO's technical loopholes. Moreover, natural search engine optimization provides attracting links as opposed to linking schemes employed by artificial SEO. Natural SEO also creates valuable resource contrary to artificial SEO's algorithm chasing. With all of these, one can clearly understand why search engines engine optimization is preferable over artificial search engine optimization. Even though latter might be harder and complicated, it produces favorable results which are very theraputic for any site. Fortunately, there are a lot of Vancouver SEO companies today that offer the organic method in affordable rates and packages.

Search engine marketing Appears in this area

Once when search engine marketing was actually not required.

Even as late like a decade ago, in the event you developed a Web site anywhere, Google indexed it and you gained visibility in its search results. Your page might have been in one of the free "estates" where anybody could put in a page and Google didn't mind. It could also have been a pure affiliate page with no original content and Google still indexed it.

Situations are unrecognizably different now.

Affiliate pages with "cookie-cutter" content duplicated everywhere might never get to the Google index; the identical fate is probably for all those pages you add in over a free-for-all website. And also "proper" websites with your own personal domain name didn't achieve visibility on the list of proliferating sites in millions.

These wouldn't normally have mattered, with the exception of something. It absolutely was Google that provided the bread and butter for your countless small enterprises that could not afford expensive marketing campaigns. If the site was on the list of top few sites the appeared before a searcher's eyes when see your face searched for your product or service, you have hundreds and even thousands of visitors, lots of whom even bought your products or services.

Search engine marketing (SEO) entered the scene. Search results specialists "reverse-engineered" to identify the standards that Google consider for showing websites near the top of its search results pages. These factors were then consciously integrated into your Web pages with the hope that Google will show your site among the first ten results it showed around the first page.

As more of your competitors adopted search engine marketing practices, things became difficult again. Your position started to slip if your competitors did the SEO better. SEO battles became serious fights with every dirty trick being employed.

There were "black hat" SEO practitioners who showed one page to look engines and another to human visitors. As engines like google are not bothered with readability, you could fill the "search engine" page with pure gibberish, but gibberish designed in wherein the engine dutifully indexed high.

A war of wits followed between unscrupulous SEO practitioners and appearance engines. Google changed its ranking algorithms regularly to work around practices that allowed low value content to seem towards the top of its search results. After all, Google's success leaned on providing value to searchers, not merchants. And SEO practitioners developed new tricks.

We'll take a look at search engine marketing inside a series of articles, starting off having an beauty at on-line or Web marketing.

 

For your SEO needs, you should check out vancouver website design and Vancouver Seo agency.

 

Cedar Roofing: Many Benefits

Cedar shakes are simply concerning the most eye appealing shakes available today. Frequently designed from red-colored cedar on the coniferous forests of northwestern United States, they're only the best roof covering materials for proprietors who prefer supplying his or her roofs an organic look.

Unique cedar shingles are naturally resistance against the weather, that's the key answer why cedar shingles are widely-used generally around various climatic conditions. They're generally obtainable in several specific qualities. One or more may be the shingle made out of red cedar as the other is produced right out of the bright white variety. Red cedar shakes are designed from tight-grained particles which can be previously saturated with tannic acidity that experts say is surely an all-natural additive. Red cedar shingles which can be dipped in creosote in order to avoid corrosion and they are desirable to homeowners simply because they give a rich and unique turn to one's property or home.

You need to observe that red cedars usually change dark-colored if exposed continuously to seaside weather. As a result, sea side homes need to have white cedar shakes. Red cedar shingles are usually a many more expensive when compared with white cedar types, even though cost factor doesn't diminish its reputation in anyhow. They may be preferably well suited for classic Colonial houses while white cedar shingles appear to be image suitable for bungalows and bungalows that have been integrated Nantucket design.

In recent times, classic cedar shakes have mislaid out in a spot to synthetic shingles that emulate the cedar appear. Superior systems are used to make these types of shingles have a for an extended period life-span in comparison to unique cedar shingles. Most include advanced UV inhibitors and also have about 5 decades of steady guarantee. These shingles in many cases are great insulators and lots of superior ones offer a chilly inside during summertime plus a warmer inside during harsh winters.

Cedar shakes, mostly for sale in honey, cinnamon, and silvery gray colors, need several level of repairs and maintenance. Needed initial treatment method ahead of installation. White cedar shakes for instance, may be addressed with bleaching oil which ought to be done virtually every six to seven years to enhance their durability.

Cedar shakes and cedar shingles can be CCA treated or otherwise not CCA treated. CCA stands for chromated copper arsenate. CCA can be a chemical that stops the increase of mold, mold and fungus so it helps maintain insects from eating away your own personal wonderful cedar roof. CCA cedar could make your homes roof keep going longer, but CCA is NOT A FIRE TREAMENT. Cedar which has been fire treated can be acquired, your roofing company have to special order it. CCA treated cedar shingles cost 15 - 20% greater than non-CCA cedar. Most cedar roofs are often not CCA treated.

Cedar shakes and cedar shingles are excellent, and they are also a good purchase. Information of terms for example CCA, advanced quality, Number 1, blue label and black label will help you to find the right cedar roof for your personal home.

Elite Roofing & Home Improvements, LLC provides more information about shingles, cedar shakes, fiberglass shakes and much more. Elite Roofing & Home Improvements, LLC is affiliated with the nation's Roofers Association.

Uncover more about cedar shingles, and acquire more articles and resources about cedar shakes at cedar roofing materials and shakes website.

 

Cedar Shingle Roof Vs Asphalt Shingle Roof

A cedar shingle roof remains highly coveted by homeowners. It's one of many oldest roofing products which has continued to be constantly being used within the hundreds of years. Just as much as new roofing materials carry on being developed, cedar shakes still endear themselves to many. Below can be a comparison analysis of the cedar roof versus an asphalt roof.

Pros of Cedar Roofing shingles

Cedar shakes bring about far better air flow inside the whole home. The shingles enable the the place to find breathe well without trapping moisture around. This assists to keep up the structure of the house in good shape for extended. Cedar Shakes are durable and strong. They like a greater resistance to bugs. A cedar shingle roof will fully stand up well for the various weather onslaughts. Storms, hurricanes, powerful winds and flying debris will barely damage the surface of your cedar roof. The colour matures beautifully using the passing years, making it even more desirable. A cedar roof adds a distinct charm to your dwelling. Cedar is instantly accessible in lumber yards and doesn't require a large amount of expertise or specialized tools to put in.

Cons of Cedar Shakes

If rot begins, you would be compelled to change the whole lot. It is not easy extracting just the affected pieces. They may happen to be nailed down in a way that each elimination proves difficult. Cedar Shingles don't hold up well to constant wetting. If you reside in a area where rainfall is heavy or frequent, cedar shingles aren't a fantastic choice. Frequent wetting causes mold or mildew setting in. Replacement and repair could be a costly business. Your very best protection against constant wetting would be to use wide overhangs. Also, in case your property is shaded by many trees or nearby buildings, cedar shingles often develop mold. You will end up compelled to replace them earlier than you planned. Cedar Shingles will be more flammable than asphalt shingles. Many areas have a very building code in place that restricts cedar shingles to minimize the danger of fire. To set up a cedar shake roof, you'll want your financial allowance concerning the higher side. Frequent maintenance may also be essential to maintain the roof who is fit. Mildew and rot are ever-constant threats with a cedar roof.

Pros of Asphalt Shingle Roof

An asphalt roof is probably the most affordable to get and install. They are available in various designs and colours, ranging from a typical, flat consider a 3-dimensional look. Asphalt shingles have a high capacity fires unlike cedar roofing. An asphalt roof can actually lessen the risk of fires due to flying embers. Asphalt roofs are easier and cheaper to put in than cedar. They are also low maintenance roofs.

Cons of Asphalt Shingle Roof

Algae is a lot more susceptible to grow on asphalt roofing than cedar shingles. It causes the rooftop to produce somewhat from the stain which spoils the appearance. You can get an anti-algae coating done in your asphalt shingles but this enhances the cost. When it comes to stability, an asphalt roof is more likely to be blown off by strong winds when compared to a cedar roof.

Discover more about cedar roof shingles, and get more articles and resources about cedar roofing shakes at cedar roof shingles and shakes website.